Ensuring concordance of data stored in different fields of Electronic Records (ERs), such as Electronic Health Records (EHRs), is an important challenge, which can enhance the reliability and usability of such records. Inconsistencies in such records may lead to confusion and mistakes and may result in spurious conclusions of applications that utilize these data. For example inconsistencies in noting drug prescription in EHR can lead to disastrous results in patient care.
One issue in Electronic Records (ER) design is balancing between the high expressive power of storing data in a non-structured field, such as free-text fields, versus the benefits of using structured fields, such as coded fields, where a code is chosen from a predefined list. While the use of non-structured field facilitates rapid and relatively convenient data entry, using structured field can enhance ER retrieval, mining, and analysis, and may improve communication between different consumers of the records. Many ER implementations therefore rely on both methods.